


Twenty-Three Minutes

by seijohstardust



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Timers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 02:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11453952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seijohstardust/pseuds/seijohstardust
Summary: Asahi is set to meet his soulmate... During a match.





	Twenty-Three Minutes

Asahi was trying desperately not to think about the timer on his wrist. He was well aware of the fact that in less than half an hour, he would meet his soulmate. Although he usually covered his wrist with a sweatband to be free of the distraction, as many did, he always removed it before a match, as he worried it might impede his movements. Now, the numbers were there for all to see.

00:00:23:39

In just over twenty-three minutes, he would meet the person he was destined to spend the rest of his life with. The fact that he was about to play in a prefectural match was not helping his nerves in the slightest.

As Karasuno lined up, Asahi tried to remain composed as he scanned the gym. He first looked to the stands – although, he knew that it was incredibly unlikely a member of the audience would suddenly run onto the court and introduce themselves in the middle of a game. He was simply putting off the truth – in twenty-three minutes, the only other people in his vicinity would be the people standing on the court now. Obviously, it couldn’t be anybody on Karasuno’s side. The only conclusion that could be drawn was that his soulmate was one of their opponents - either that, or the referee. Would he touch the net or commit a foot fault in twenty-three minutes’ time, leading to their first fated interaction? It was certainly possible.

Asahi felt close to fainting.

It didn’t help that as far as his team were concerned, all eyes were on him. He had woken up that day to numerous texts; most (namely, Nishinoya) were supportive, cheering him on at the start of the fated day, while others (namely, Daichi) had texted to remind him not to lose focus. However, that was proving incredibly difficult. Still, his will to succeed was strong, and he had his friends behind him, ready to cover for any mistakes – but he couldn’t shake the thought that if they lost, it would probably be because of him.

The first fifteen minutes of play went by without any real issues. Once he was absorbed in his role, Asahi found it slightly easier to concentrate, although as he knew the time grew nearer, the weight he felt in the pit of his stomach grew heavier.

Fifteen minutes. Ten minutes. Five minutes.

Asahi felt sick.

One minute.

He tried to remain focused as the ball came his way. Sugawara had set it perfectly for him, now was his chance –

He jumped, spiking the ball.

Arms launched into the air from the other side, blocking his view.

00:00:00:00

He saw the numbers - not on his own arm, but on the left arm of the middle blocker who had so deftly blocked his spike.

The whistle blew, signifying Dateko’s point. It took Asahi a moment to come back down to earth, his whole body feeling numb as everybody else returned to their positions. Everybody, that is, apart from him, and Dateko’s number seven.

For both of them, time seemed to stand still. Asahi had, until now, been incredibly daunted by the person now staring at him from behind the net. He always seemed to wear a grim expression, with his lack of eyebrows meaning his face carried little emotion. Slightly taller than Asahi himself, he was an intimidating force to behold. Asahi remembered that his name was Aone, Aone Takanobu. The core of Dateko’s Iron Wall.

On the other side of the net, despite his composed demeanour, Aone was in a similar state of internal disarray. He had simultaneously dreamed of and dreaded this day. He had spent god knows how long worrying about his soulmate’s reaction to him – he had even had nightmares about finally meeting his soulmate, only to have them run from him in fear. Although he reassured himself that this was unlikely to happen in real life, that fear just happened to reassert itself as he had lined up with his teammates before the match, surveying his opponents – and apparently, possible life partners.

His impenetrable poker face had hidden his nerves well as he had looked at Karasuno’s line-up. Despite trying his best not to judge any of them – after all, his soulmate could have been any one of them – his eyes were drawn to their number three. _Cute_ , he thought. All at once, his mind had filled with sweet fantasies – he and number three on a date at the park with a picnic, he and number three sharing their first kiss, he and number three sitting together on a hill at night, watching the stars. He blinked, hoping that the warmth he felt in his cheeks hadn’t turned into a visible blush.

Aone wanted to kick himself for thinking about the man like that – for all he knew, his soulmate could be their boisterous-looking libero. The height difference would certainly make them an interesting couple to look at. Whoever it ended up being, he knew he shouldn’t be jumping the gun – still, he couldn’t escape the feeling that their number three looked distinctly more nervous than his teammates about the match that was about to begin.

Now, Aone was staring at Karasuno’s number three in disbelief. Sure enough, the numbers on his arm were the same as his own, the string of zeros sealing their fate.

Asahi’s own erratic train of thought was disrupted by Sugawara calling his name. Of course – even if he had just discovered his soulmate, he still had a match to play. Asahi returned to his position, and Aone returned to his.

Despite their situation, neither Asahi nor Aone planned to hold back for the rest of the match. Neither of them would let their discovery make them a burden to their teams, and they both gave the match their all, even if they kept staring at each other with every free moment they had.

Still, despite his resolve, Asahi found it impossible to break past Dateko’s blocks. The nerves he felt in his stomach were now mingled with a crushing feeling of uselessness – all in all, it was getting almost too much for him to handle. Eventually, Asahi stopped calling for the ball altogether.

When the final whistle blew and both teams had gone through the usual rituals of shaking hands and thanking their supporters, Asahi was the first one out of the gym, immediately locating the nearest toilets and taking refuge in the cubicle furthest from the door. He needed time to process his thoughts, and to come to terms with their – no, his, he thought – loss, and he absolutely could not deal with the inevitable onslaught of questions that would come if he had stayed behind. Worst of all, he couldn’t bring himself to talk to Aone – he knew he would’ve been shy before, but given the situation, he had no idea what to do. It was all just a bit too much.

Meanwhile, Aone was still in the gym, staring at the door that his soulmate had just bolted out of. Nobody else on his side of the court dared to say a word, reading the situation just as he had, not knowing what to say.

~

Karasuno were in a state of concern themselves, both crushed by their loss and concerned for their friend. Asahi was known for his heart of glass, and they knew that he had not taken their loss well –the soulmate situation was, in all likelihood, not helping. Sugawara, who had been playing close attention to what had been going on, finally decided to dispatch himself to the toilets, where he assumed Asahi had locked himself away in a fit of self-pity.

“Asahi?”

No response came, his voice echoing through the bathroom. Only one cubicle door was closed, however, and Sugawara felt sure that his friend was locked inside, his head probably in his hands as he choked back his tears.

“Asahi, I know you’re in there. Come on, open up. It’s me.”

A moment passed, and sure enough, the door opened with a slow creak, revealing Asahi sitting on the closed toilet seat, his face red and wet with tears. Sugawara took a moment to try and think of the right thing to say to raise his friend’s spirits, but nothing felt appropriate. Thankfully, it was Asahi who spoke first, his voice wobbling as tears stung the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over again.

“I’m sorry. We lost because of me, I-“

“No. Stop it. We lost, but we’re a team, and I… I shouldn’t have relied on you so much. And Aone-“

Sugawara noticed Asahi’s face contort in frustration as he said that name. It had been clear to Sugawara from both men’s behaviour that it had been Aone’s timer that had stopped with Asahi’s, making everything far more complicated than it should be. He continued, nonetheless.

“Aone was an exceptionally skilled player, but we knew that Dateko’s defence was second to none. We just need to work harder so we can stop them next time. We have a whole year, Asahi. A whole year left, and who knows what kind of players our new first years will be? This is just one setback. We can still make it to nationals next year. We _will_ make it to nationals next year.”

Sugawara’s words fell on deaf ears, though, just as he thought they would. He knew he was ignoring the elephant in the room, but he honestly didn’t know what to say with regards to Aone being Asahi’s soulmate. Asahi buried his face in his hands once more.

The bathroom door swung open behind them, and both friends looked up with a jolt, an intimidating figure staring both of them down.

The cubicle door in front of Sugawara swung shut once again.

Disguising the pain he felt, Aone approached the door and knocked it, so gently it could barely be heard. A moment passed before an equally inaudible voice responded from within.

“Occupied.”

Sugawara had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. While he did pity Asahi, his behaviour towards his apparent soulmate was somewhere between ridiculous and rude, whether he realised it or not. Aone was undoubtedly going through a lot himself, and what both of them needed was to sort this out together, without Sugawara getting in the way. With that thought, he decided to take his leave, leaving Aone and Asahi alone.

An awkward silence reigned in the bathroom, save the dripping of a leaky tap. Voices echoed in the corridor outside, and Aone’s face heated up as he tried to think of something to say.

“Your… Spikes… Were powerful,” he murmured finally. No response. He shifted his weight, his voice growing even quieter, feeling like his words were destined for failure.

“I’m… Sorry, I’m not… You know. I don’t… Uh. I don’t… Look like the ideal… Partner…”

At this, Asahi’s stomach twisted. Of course - despite what had happened between them, he’d run off without a second thought. He replayed it again, only from Aone’s perspective, and suddenly felt terrible for the inevitable misunderstanding. He sucked in a breath, trying to steady his voice, and responded.

“It’s- It’s not that. I just, you know… We lost, and I…”

“But don’t you want to talk?”

Aone shocked himself with his own sudden assertiveness. He hoped he hadn’t scared his Number Three.

Asahi paused, finding himself lost for words. No matter how many times his family had told him about finding their soulmates, no matter how many of his friends he saw with their counters depleted and their arms linked with another’s, nothing could have prepared him for the reality that now confronted him. Yes, he had been unable to score a single point, and yes, the reason for that was primarily the man standing outside the cubicle door in front of him, but the fact remained that fate had irrevocably tied the two of them together.

Asahi stood up and opened the latch, the door opening once more. Aone stared down at him, his cheeks tinted pink. Asahi realised that his own cheeks were much the same.

“I’m… Azumane Asahi,” he said quietly.

“Aone Takanobu.”

“It- It’s nice to meet you, Aone-san.”

At this, for the first time that day, Aone’s face broke into a shy smile. Asahi couldn’t help but smile in return as he rubbed his damp cheeks.

“Aone. Just Aone… Is okay.”

“Okay, Aone. Asahi is fine, too.”

“Wait,” Aone said suddenly, then flinched as he realised how loud he had been. “I-I’m sorry… It’s just… Takanobu. Takanobu is fine.”

“Really?” Asahi asked, unsure. Aone’s blush grew, along with his smile.

“Yeah. We’re soulmates.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is set during the fateful match between Karasuno and Dateko, before the current first-years joined the team. This was only meant to be maybe... 500 words? But once I started, I couldn't stop. Hooray for rarepair OTPs.
> 
> Come and say hi at satoristardust.tumblr.com!


End file.
